Staff Spotlight: Kevin Wright
Posted under: In this edition of the Free Geek Gnusletter, we profile Kevin Wright, known by many since April 2012 as one of our always hard-working and friendly Receiving and Prebuild Associates. Naturally, the Gnusletter staff was thrilled to sit down with Kevin to find out what makes her tick and how she found her way to Free Geek. Prepare to be delighted and amazed, and say hi to Kevin when you see her around the building!
FG: What led or inspired you to get involved with Free Geek, and how did you end up working on the staff?
KW: I was in school and realized that after two years as a Computer Science student we had never opened a computer and looked inside! I was having a really hard time connecting the dots between the hardware and what we were learning from labs and books, so I told one of my teachers that I needed some hands-on time with a computer I could break or take apart, and he sent me to Free Geek. I never left. I started as a volunteer, then became an intern, then a temporary employee and finally got hired full-time.
FG: What is your favorite thing about your job?
KW: I love that at Free Geek we don’t judge people by the way they look, act, or dress. To me it seems like everyone is welcome to come in and try their hand at whatever takes their fancy. We do our best to teach anyone who wants to learn.
FG: Can you tell our readers something about you that might surprise them?
KW: I love to surf, and usually try to get to some good water a few times a year. My mom was a surfer in the 60′s and she taught my brothers and me. I enjoy Kihei beach, and Kahului Harbor in Maui, but will try any beach. I am also a pretty good bow hunter and try to get out in the field as much as I can. Growing up, my family hunted everything we could eat. I have the most fun hunting with a bow because i think it is the most fair. You can stand across a canyon with a rifle and catch a deer, but with a bow you have to actually hunt.
FG: Have you learned any tips about working with computers that you think our readers may want to know?
KW: There is no “cheating” in computers! By which I mean that whatever you’re trying to figure out, there is documentation online somewhere that contains the answer, or someone else at Free Geek has had that problem and is usually willing to help. Volunteers who try to speed through the process without asking questions might miss out on important information and end up shooting themselves in the foot. My advice is to take it slow, ask questions and don’t be embarrassed if you don’t already know the answer to the problem you’re trying to solve.
FG: Would you rather fight 100 duck-sized horses or one horse-sized duck, and why?
KW: If I saw a horse-sized duck I would try to ride it!